Sunrise Gets 68 Entries In Logo Contest

SUNRISE — What do an island laden with palm trees and an infant wrapped in a blanket have in common?

They are just two of the 68 drawings that residents have submitted in a contest to determine the city`s new logo.

It is now in the hands of the City Council to decide which of the 68 entries will best reflect the ``new image`` city officials have been talking about for several months.

Mayor Larry Hoffman proposed the ``Logo Contest`` last year as a way to involve the public in shaping a new image for Sunrise. Contest entries were accepted through the month of January.

The outgoing logo, in existence since 1967, is a green, yellow and orange design consisting of two pyramids and a rising sun. Hoffman wants to dispense with the pyramid concept, a trademark of former Mayor John Lomelo.

But old habits are hard to break, as a few contest entries still include the ever-present pyramid. A sea of orange on the wall of the City Council chambers, where the drawings are on display, shows that the rising sun is still a popular favorite.

Some artists, not constrained by the name of the city, tried for the more offbeat, like the infant with its accompanying slogan, ``Sunrise, Florida: Only Beginning To Grow.``

Other designs include an open gate symbolizing the city as a ``gateway to the future`` and a pair of hands gently holding a flaming orange sun.

``There`s all kinds of shapes out there,`` Hoffman said.

The entries will be on display until Feb. 18, when the council is expected to make its selection. The winning artist will receive $100, with $50 for second place and $25 for third.

Hoffman has suggested that the winning design be adapted to the city`s official colors of blue and gold.